


Tales from the SMP: Dimension Discoveries

by Blood_Of_Silver



Category: Minecraft (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Other, Tales From The SMP, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-26
Updated: 2021-02-26
Packaged: 2021-03-17 01:35:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,934
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29709639
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blood_Of_Silver/pseuds/Blood_Of_Silver
Summary: Our story begins with Karl Jacobs returning from another eventful time travel episode where the orphans of Tulasoo’s Orphanage overthrew their vicious captor and escaped into freedom.Karl enters the In-Between once more, but it turns out the place of rest has more questions than answers for the young traveler.
Kudos: 6





	1. Chapter 1

The dark void surrounded Karl Jacobs as he felt the familiar sensation of falling through centuries in the span of seconds. His multicolored cloak protected him against the winds of change that whipped past him, goggles secured in place around his head. His boots slapped against marble flooring and he opened his eyes to see that he was once more in the In-Between. The place he always ended up in after his time traveling adventures. His cloak and goggles were gone only to be replaced by the customary white sweater and slacks that he found himself in each time he arrived. 

“What a wild ride that was!” His voice echoed slightly in the empty white hallway he was currently walking down. He ran a hand through his brown frizzy locks in an attempt to detangle the mop of hair as he moved through the pristine castle. 

This particular time trip had led him to an orphanage in the past under Ms. Tulasoo’s care. The woman was quite evil and would often beat the children verbally and physically. Karl rubbed his arm from the spot where Ms. Tulasoo has caught him with her whip she had nicknamed ‘Greatest Teacher’. The woman was sick and the children were ready for a new life. After a little encouragement on Karl’s part, they escaped under cover of night and caught a train headed for the city. However, Ms. Tulasoo had discovered their plan and attempted to head them off. The ordeal ended on the roof of the train as it drove across a bridge over a waterway. Karl sacrificed himself for the sake of the orphans and dragged the wicked woman with him off the speeding freights into the watery depths below. Time had mercifully decided to deliver him to the In-Between before death could claim him. 

He stopped walking as a figure approached. The man drew closer and he could see it was only a version of himself in another timeline. This one was also dressed in the all-white apparel of the In-Between and was reading a book as he walked past without a glance in his direction. This was a normal occurrence. He would see versions of himself on their way back from their own adventures, but they never acknowledged him. This was one of the many things that confused him about this place. If he could see them, why could they not see him? And if they were past versions of himself, why did he see them in parts of the castle he had yet to explore? He had one day tested a passing Karl who looked particularly frantic by pushing against him to see whether or not it was a projection. The Karl had fallen down out of shock and looked about wildly to see what had hit him before looking annoyed and continuing on to whatever he had been doing before. 

Karl stopped walking as he found himself in an outdoor garden area. Literally, he saw yet another Karl Jacobs sitting under a tree reading. There were lilies growing along the edges of the cobblestone walkway and smaller birch trees growing by the walls surrounding the courtyard. In the center, a large white oak grew with extensive branches and leaves that fluttered gently in the breeze. As always, he was struck by how beautiful this place was. The marble bench his other self was sitting on was beneath the oak. This version of himself seemed completely enthralled by what he was reading. Karl strode over and peeked at what he was reading. 

The words “DON’T STRAY FROM THE PATH” filled up the entire page. He shivered despite the warmth of the day at the memory of horror he had felt when he first read that journal. He sat next to himself on the bench and watched the fear in his own eyes. Despite being a place of rest, the In-Between sure could spook him. As expected, the Karl Jacobs shut the book and quickly got up and left to return the journal to where he had found it, leaving the present Karl alone on the bench. He looked up at the vines growing over the entrance and watched the wind play across the leaves. He closed his eyes and felt what the location intended when he had first arrived at the castle: peace. He had never seen anything like this grand palace with its marble floors, grand ballrooms, intricate staircases, and endless rooms to discover. The books he found hidden around were the only instructions and explanation this place provided and as far as he knew, he would never fully understand everything involved with this place of timeless journeys through time. 

A sound so small he barely noticed at first now became part of his consciousness. It was a small snipping that sounded sharp and clean. Snip snip. Snip snip. He opened his eyes and looked around to find where the noise was coming from. A leaf fell on his lap which caused him to look up to see a ball of gray hurtling towards him. 

“AAAAAAAAAAAGGH!” A scream sounded from the creature of disturbance before landing on top of Karl and knocking him off the bench. Out of fear he scrambled back to see what had attacked him only to find beside the bench a small ball of fabric with little legs waving in the air and muffled grumblings coming from it. He crept closer and watched as the being righted itself and shook the dust off its miniature hoodie. Upon noticing Karl, the creature stopped muttering and took a step back. It was not that different from a garden gnome minus the pointed hat and porcelain appearance. The clothes it wore were like Karl’s but smaller, gray, and without a swirl design in the center. 

In a squeaky voice it spoke. “My apologies, I wasn’t aware there were any more travelers here today. Else I would have been more careful.” 

Karl was at a loss for words for a moment before answering. “Oh, uh, that’s okay. Um, not to be rude but who are you?” The creature did not answer for a moment choosing to stumble around, feeling the ground around him as if in search of something. 

“It seems I’ve lost them again …” It squeaked. 

Karl felt something poking the back of his neck and reached behind to grab something metal stuck in the hood of his sweater. It was a pair of small spectacles with black O shaped rims. “Here.” He handed the glasses to the creature. “I think this is yours.”

The creature took back his glasses gratefully and after putting them on smiled at the young man. “Thank you! I need these to do my work here.” He turned away before realizing something and turning back. “Allow me to introduce myself. I am Twicha, keeper of the In-Between.”


	2. The Keeper

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Karl learns who the Keeper of the In-Between is.

Karl’s mind raced as he processed Twicha’s introduction. This place had others here aside from him? He was not the only one after all. “That’s … I can’t … but you’re -“ He paused to collect his thoughts and form a coherent sentence. “Okay, so I’m Karl and I was brought here by something. I don’t know why, but I come here every time I -“ Karl hesitated telling Twicha that he could time travel seeing as he was a complete stranger who may or may not be trustworthy. 

Twicha noticed the unwillingness to explain and simply laughed. “I know who you are. Karl Jacobs: the mysterious time traveler, brought here to fix his present timeline by surveying stories from the past and the future. Known by none but an aid to everyone.” Karl’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion and Twicha waved it off with his small hand. “But no matter.” He turned back around to pick up his clippers that he had been using in the tree when he had first fallen on Karl. He wobbled as a manner of walking to the bushes on the side of the courtyard to continue pruning. 

Snip snip. Snip snip. 

Karl walked closer to survey the little man as he worked. “If you’ve been here that long,” he questioned, “how come I’ve never seen you before?”

Twicha looked up at him for a second and muttered something that sounded like, “I see” before he continued pruning and finally answered the question. “Different timelines” was his reply. “It’s the same reason why you can see other Karl Jacobs in the In-Between, but they cannot see or hear you. I am always here, so you just happened to catch me in the right place at the right time. But typically I’m always in this courtyard in the evening to watch the sunsets. It has the best view in the whole castle.” As if to prove his point he gestured towards the window. Karl walked over to see that he was indeed correct. The clouds were painted with nearly every color as the sun sank low in the western sky. It was breathtaking to witness yet another beauty the In-Between offered. 

He turned to face Twicha who had finished his work and was watching Karl take in the sights. “Are you in charge of this place? Like, do you decide where and when I’m going when I travel?”

The little man shook his head quickly. “Oh no, there is a higher power at play here that not even I could begin to comprehend. And that’s another thing.” He held up his pointer finger to emphasize his next statement as he looked at Karl sternly. “I am not in charge of the In-Between. I am only the keeper who maintains the facility for future time travelers such as yourself. I can answer your questions but don’t think for a second I know what your path is and how you can stay on it.”

The words caught him off guard for a second until he realized that Twicha probably had read all the books here and knew that he was not to stray from the path. He nodded to show that he understood and followed as Twicha went back inside the castle. In all honesty, it was comforting knowing that he wasn’t the only one confused by his mission. But something the little man had mentioned earlier did not sit right with Karl. 

“You said,” Karl stuck his hands in the pockets of his sweater, “that I’m surveying other timelines in order to help fix my timeline.” He walked slowly so as to not outpace the little man who was wobbling along with his clippers held to the side awkwardly. Karl offered to hold them and the little man allowed him to. 

“Much obliged.” He squeaked. “And yes I did. Where you come from, things are unbalanced. Certain people have been given too much power and your people’s history is suffering because of it.” 

Karl’s hand that wasn’t holding the clippers clenched unconsciously. Dream: the enemy of the people. Karl thought that putting the man in jail was the answer but there was still a heavy unease that settled over the entire SMP continent. Almost like a pause between the contractions of labor. What was being birthed, Karl had no idea. But it could be nothing good if Dream had been taken down that easily. There had been hardly a fight, which seemed very unlike the young trickster. Everyone had expected him to weasel his way out of the arrest but there Dream sat, behind bars, under Sam’s watchful gaze. 

At the end of the hallway they took a left and came upon a wall. Twicha walked to one corner and pushed against the wall which swung open as a secret doorway. Karl followed him inside to see a small room full of hardware and machinery. There was a wall with equipment hanging off of it and cabinets filled with metal tools of all shapes and sizes. Karl’s mouth fell open as he looked at everything inside the room that was vastly different in contrast to the castle it was situated inside of. Twicha coughed to get Karl’s attention and pointed to where the clippers were to go on the wall. He ran over and placed them carefully onto their hooks before walking after Twicha further into the room towards a wooden door. The small man turned the knob and gestured for him to enter. Karl had to crouch to walk through but when he straightened he saw a cozy looking living room with comfy chairs, a fireplace, and a thick rug on the floor. 

“Is this where you live?” Karl looked around then sat in one of the chairs in front of the fire. 

“Make yourself comfortable!” Twicha snickered as if at some kind of inside joke. “And yes. This is my small corner of the In-Between.” He wobbled over to a small kitchenette. “Now I can’t seem to recall whether you said you like green tea or black.”

“Black tea is fine, thank you.” He paused and tried to remember when he had even mentioned tea before now. As The small man boiled a kettle of water, Karl shrugged to himself and looked around the room. It was tastefully decorated in grays and blacks but the fire cast a red glow over everything as there were no other light sources. The small man made the two cups of tea and brought them over on plates then handed one to Karl. Karl blew on the surface while waiting for the tea to cool enough for him to drink it. 

Twicha sat opposite him in another chair and drank his hot tea in almost one gulp. Karl stared, wide eyed and concerned. “Ahh!” He smacked his lips then looked at Karl. “Was there anything else you wanted to know? Well, Something I’d be able to tell you at least.”

Karl set the cup and saucer in his lap while looking into the fire and thinking. “I guess what I really want to know is -“ He glanced over at the small man. “What exactly is this place? I mean, where are we?”

The small man did not seem surprised by the question. “This place is exactly what it claims to be.” Twicha set his cup down on a side table and continued. “It is a place of rest for you before you return to your own timeline. Time travel isn’t exactly relaxing so in order to keep your memories intact and your mind sane, the In-Between gives you a peaceful place to recuperate before you resume daily living. It’s quite necessary as was learned with the last traveler.”

Karl’s eyes snapped up from the floor to his host. “Last traveler! How many people have been here before me?”

Scratching his chin, Twicha looked uncomfortable. “I’m afraid it really isn’t my place to tell you that since these things will be revealed all in due time. But what I can tell you is this, there have been traveled before you and there will be more after. The higher power I spoke of earlier uses people like you to restore balance in the universe.” 

Twicha leaned forward in his chair but with his legs sticking straight out in front of him, he looked more comical than serious. His words however made Karl overlook the appearance of the small man and focus on the meaning of his message. “You are the silent hero no one will ever know of but everyone has to thank for the continuance of their existence. Without time travelers, the universe would be an endless state of chaos. You restore balance to the times and keep the peace between the decades.” Twicha leaned back in his seat and smiled gently. “You write books no one will read for your own sake and you save people throughout history without any credit. I have enjoyed learning about the adventures you go on when I get the chance to watch. You are a rather entertaining individual.”

Karl was not sure how to respond to that. All he knew was that he was feeling tired from the day and overly warm between the hot tea, fireplace, and sweater he was wearing. He struggled to keep his eyes open. Twicha had reminded him that he still had to transcribe today’s events before falling asleep when he got home. 

“I think -“ he started, “-that it’s time for me to be going.” He placed the cup on the table next to his chair. “Thank you Twicha for your hospitality and I hope we meet again. You’ve given me a lot to think about for the time being.”

Twicha jumped up from his chair and walked him to the door. “Of course, you need time to process. I understand. And I think we will see each other again but excuse me if I don’t recognize you, different timelines, ya know!”

Karl really did not know but he was far too tired to ask. “Goodbye Twicha.” He called as he left the small room. When he made his way back to the hallway of the castle, he felt the pull of home. The In-Between was telling him that he’d spent enough time there today and now needed to return to his own world. He allowed himself to be dragged through time once more back to his library in Kinoko Kingdom. He felt the flapping of a cloak against his legs and the tightening of goggles around his head once more. Soon he could record everything in his journals then collapse in his bed. His mind was more than ready to slip into the most delicious form of unconsciousness available: sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I’m excited for the new Tales episode tonight!

**Author's Note:**

> I just got inspired one night. These stories are based off of twitch.tv/karljacobs streams where he broadcasts Tales from the SMP. Go watch!


End file.
